Mass Effect Drabble Posts
by Steve Phillips
Summary: Short scenes about 100 - 1000 words, all involving characters from Mass Effect. Always sci-fi related. None of these stories are connected. Drabbles might include humor, sci-fi action/violence, some romantic stuff, or an occasional crossover with another universe (e.g. in one drabble, a few of the Marvel Avengers show up).
1. Vega, Garrus, You shouldn't eat that

Members of the Normandy crew crowded at a single table, closely watching the action. Two champions faced off, and the competition was fierce.

James Vega smiled looked at his crewmate sitting at his side. He leaned forward and asked, "You what that food looks like?"

Garrus Vakarian lowered his fork, and turned toward his hulking crewmate. "Do your worst, Vega."

"It looks like a pile of gas bags that were crushed by the Mako, that's what."

Garrus shook his head and took a bite. He looked levelly at Vega. "Delicious," he said. "Your turn."

Vega wrinkled his nose at the smell of the food in front of him. He stabbed it with his fork, and hesitated for a moment.

"You probably shouldn't eat that," said Garrus, with a grin. "I don't even know what it is, but it smells like varren breath."

Vega fought against the fury that protested in his stomach. "Take one for the team, soldier," he said out loud, and took a bite. The smell was even worse than he thought it would be. He forced himself to smile, and looked at his turian friend. "Your turn, Garrus."

Garrus looked at his plate. This was the part that he'd been dreading, some shredded brown meat covered with a yellow substance. Was it cheese? Something related to cheese? He probed it with his fork. "This must be what evil smells like," said Garrus. "Only a human could invent this." It was the sight of this food that bothered him most. To look at it, it had to be one of the least appetizing foods ever made.

Vega said, "Wrex tried to eat some of that, and he spat it right out."

The thought of something that Wrex couldn't eat was almost too much.

"Wrex…Wrex…Wrex…," said Vega. "That fork looks really heavy, Garrus…" He was already beginning to raise his hands slightly, expecting victory.

Garrus saw the gesture, and frowned. "Not so fast, Vega. I didn't put it down yet." He defiantly lifted his fork, and looked at the pile of food again. Then he shoved it into his mouth, and began to chew quickly.

Vega leaned back in his chair, and dropped his hands on the table with a thud. He said, "Ah, dammit. So close."

The turian hesitated, and stopped chewing. "Actually…"

Vega began to nod. "Yeah, I know," he said. "Tastes better than it looks, doesn't it? Wrex actually loves it. Me too."

Garrus began to smile, and chew with more vigor. "Actually…" he said, "I think I'll have more of this!"

Normandy crew members on both sides of Garrus and Vega burst out laughing. Vega leaned back and looked toward the ceiling, rolled his eyes, and tossed his hands in the air.

Nearby, mess sergeant Gardner said, "At least somebody likes the Philly cheesesteak I make."


	2. Kaidan Alenko, Power failure

Everything went dark on the _Normandy_ 's engineering deck. Even the ship's emergency lighting didn't activate.

Kaidan Alenko was looking at a diagnostic display just a moment before. And now he saw...nothing. He realized that the white noise hum of the ship's engines was gone too, replaced with mute silence.

"What the hell?" said Kaidan. He thought of Engineers Daniels and Donnelly, who were only one or two rooms away. "Gabby, Ken, what happened? I can't see my hand in front of my face, it's so dark in here."

A murky black curtain had fallen over everything around him. There were cloudy, ghostly dark shapes everywhere, but nothing more substantial. It was like being in a forest at night, in the fog, with not so much as a flashlight. He waved his hands in front of him, near his waist, and his palms found the welcome, firm surface of the console. He was about to grip the console when it seemed to vanish into thin air. Waving his hands frantically, Kaidan reached for the console, but only found black space, emptiness. He tried to take a step, and his eyes widened as he couldn't feel anything under his legs, either.

 _It's like I'm scuba diving_ , thought Kaidan. _No, no, that's not it…not scuba diving. This feels just like basic training, that first time they put us into that simulator, that one that trained us how to handle...oh, hell no…_ Then he heard the sound of Gabby's voice. She didn't sound too far away, and finished his thought for him. _"_ We're floating in zero-g, everybody," she said. "We've lost power. Hang in there until we get it fixed."

"Thanks Gabby," called Kaidan. "That's what I thought. I guess I'll just hang out. Nothing better to do."

From the darkness, now he heard Ken's voice. "Hey Gabby, leave the lights off. Nobody can see us, I've heard sex is great in zero-g."

"Jeez, Ken," said Kaidan. "Your jokes are bad enough when we can see you."

"Ken, will you knock it off?" said Gabby.

Kaidan had to chuckle as he imagined Gabby floating in the pitch dark, shaking her head, still having to listen to Ken's dumb jokes. Then all at once he was awash in an ocean of bright light. He squinted and covered his eyes.

"Got the lights back on," said Gabby. "Sorry they're so bright…"

 _She's close by all right,_ thought Kaidan. He shook off the eye strain and began to look around, but couldn't see Gabby or Ken. _They must be working at a circuitry board in the next room. And…oh, no…I'm still in zero gravity, and now I'm floating upside down. Great._

"Uh…Gabby! Ken!" he called. "Before you bring the gravity back on – "

Too late. He heard Gabby say, "Gravity's back up!"

 _Aw, shit!_ thought Kaidan as he fell head-first toward the deck.


	3. Udina, Conrad Verner, too much to drink

Donnel Udina sat in the Purgatory bar and asked for another drink. Another day of arguing with the Citadel council about humanity's best interests. Another day of pointlessly trying to get those damn turian, asari, and salarian ambassadors to give him the time of day. Another day of human fools who just didn't see things as he did. He normally would never be caught dead in a place like Purgatory, but right now he didn't care. He just hoped that no one recognized him before he left.

Udina glanced up at a nearby monitor, and saw a news report involving Commander Shepard. _Shepard, that fool_ , he thought. _So much potential, he's wasting his career on cooperating too much with those alien races!_

A man with blond hair and a goatee ran over to the space at the bar alongside Udina. He started shouting, trying to get the bartender's attention. "Turn it up! Turn up the volume on that monitor! That's Commander Shepard!"

The bartender waved the blond-haired man off. He persisted, pushing his way closer, and put his glass down alongside Udina. "But that's Commander Shepard! I'll bet it's something really important! I need to know what they're saying!"

Udina rolled his eyes. _Who is this moron?_ he thought. _All the thankless things that I do to assure humanity's place in this galaxy, and all that morons like this want to talk about is Commander Shepard? Where the hell is my drink?_

The other man was becoming more and more agitated, and kept gesturing for the bartender. "My name's Conrad Verner! Shepard and I are close friends! I need to know what's happening!" If the man could read lips, he would've seen that Shepard was saying, "...and it's my favorite store on the Citadel."

Udina had heard enough. He grabbed the drink belonging to Conrad, and threw it away. The bartender saw it happen, and quickly began to wave for a bouncer.

Conrad's eyes widened in surprise at Udina. He said, "Hey! What's your problem, mister? That was my drink!"

Udina snorted and said, "That's what I think of your Commander Shepard!"

The man named Conrad suddenly grabbed Udina's lapels, his eyes blazing. He yelled into Udina's face, with breath that was full of whiskey. "Take that back! He's a hero!"

"Unhand me, you moron. Do you know who I am? Hero-worshipping fools like you are an even bigger threat to humanity than Shepard – "

With that, Conrad was upon Udina in a crazed fury. Udina flailed frantically as Conrad attacked him with a flurry of fists.

"He's a hero!" yelled Verner. "I'll kick your ass, old man!"

The bartender noticed that two bouncers had finally arrived, and then held up his hand in their direction. He took out a smart phone camera and started to film the fight.

"My money's on the blond guy with the beard," he said.


	4. Non-council race, Kicking Reaper ass

Now that almost the entire Reaper assault wave was wiped out, the krogan clan Vikor had decided to have some fun.

Vikor Karg switched his assault rifle to full automatic and fired. The banshee was riddled in the side of its torso. It snarled an otherworldly hellish fury at the krogan and unleashed streams of biotic energy that would have killed a lesser creature. Karg only swatted its attack away and laughed.

His brother Wrock opened fire at that moment. The banshee was hit in the shoulder on the opposite side. It wheeled around, then threw a storm of energy that surrounded Wrock. Wrock stomped his feet in anger. "Dammit, why isn't it dead yet! I want another turn. Mala, you're up!"

The banshee was encircled by twenty krogans from the clan who were taking turns attacking it from random directions. The rest of the clan was cheering them on near a bonfire of hundreds of bodies of husks, cannibals, marauders and other Reaper troops. Whoever delivered the kill shot that finished the banshee got a dozen bottles of ryncol for his family.

Mala roared and opened fire with a rocket launcher. It struck the banshee squarely on the behind. The banshee leaped into the air as though it had been surprised by a whoopee cushion as laughter exploded from a hundred krogans who saw it. "Zon, it's your turn!" she laughed.

Zon said, "Wait! Wait! Maybe this will work!" He made a big show of winding up, then threw a single rock that squarely hit the banshee on the back of the head.

The sound of laughter was deafening. The banshee's face contorted with rage. It looked straight at Zon and then vanished into thin air.

Zon didn't hesitate. He spun around as the banshee warped into the space behind him. The banshee's eyes widened in shock as Zon's hands gripped its throat and then started thunderously slamming its head against the ground.

"You! Are! An! Abomination!" shouted Zon, dragging out the last word for a full five seconds until the banshee's body imploded in his hands.

As the clan cheered around him, Zon waved them off. "Mala!" he said, "I know the rule. No hand-to-hand combat. You win the ryncol."

Mala slapped Zon on the back. "Only if your family shares it with mine, Zon. Tell me, what should we do with its head?"

Zon looked at a nearby hillside. "What else? Put it on a stake alongside with the others. And tell Clan Urdnot that we've killed almost as many banshees as they have. They need to step it up."


	5. Kai Leng, that had to hurt

The assassin knew his plan was foolproof.

Kai Leng was a master of his craft. His assignment, to kill Commander Jane Shepard, had come from the Illusive Man himself. Good. It was time for the legend of Commander Shepard to come to an end. This woman, who had done so much to complicate things for Cerberus, was going to be exposed for the pretender that she really was. She would die a humiliating death against the blade of his sword, and he would enjoy every moment of her suffering. No, she was no legend. Legends didn't die like this. Tonight he would cement his own legacy, the legend of Kai Leng.

Cerberus had specially modified his tactical cloak as a climbing suit for the mission. He was like a gecko. He could feel his hands, torso and limbs taking purchase against the sheer face and adhering to the wall outside Shepard's apartment building. At her 20th-floor apartment, Shepard had invited her crew to a party. He would climb up to that floor, bide his time until all was quiet, break into her apartment and slit her throat.

Leng was at the 10th floor when he heard a sucking sound above him, followed by a hollow pop. His brow furrowed. What was it? Again, the sucking sound, and a hollow pop. He scanned the darkness above him and saw something. Or rather, someone. A man seemed to be descending from the roof, using a bulky, obnoxiously loud suction cup contraption to grasp the wall. Who the hell was this amateur?

Then it happened. The stranger reached into his clothes, seemed to hold an object, then flailed his arms and tried to hug the wall. "SHIT!" he yelped.

Leng's eyes widened like saucers as a dark object fell from the stranger. It flew straight at Leng's head and shattered against his kinetic shield, loosening his suit's grip on the wall. He shook his head quickly and tried to steady himself. Was that a _camera_ that had just hit him? His vision had only cleared for a moment when the stranger shrieked and plummeted, swinging his arms and legs wildly at the air. The bulky stranger collided with the master assassin like a freight train, throwing them both clear of the wall and plunging them to the ground.

Hitting the ground knocked the wind out of Leng, and the stranger's heavy landing knocked him unconscious. The sound of security alarms filled his ears as he blacked out.

Leng's hands and ankles were bound when he woke up to a flash of light. As his vision cleared, the first person he saw was unconscious. He had blond hair, a goatee, a bruised face, and was being lifted onto a stretcher and carried to an ambulance. It must have been the fool who fell on him from above. Then he saw the unmistakable features of Shepard's turian crew member, Garrus Vakarian, whose gaze bore straight through him. Alongside Garrus was the scarred, rugged face of Zaeed Massani.

"Nice climbing, Leng," said Garrus. "You just made a great background for the selfie that I just took with Zaeed. Tonight will make you a legend."

It could only mean one thing, and Leng heard the all-too-familiar voice of Commander Jane Shepard a moment later.

"Kai Leng, how's it going! You look like shit."

Leng turned toward her voice, snarled and struggled mightily against his restraints. It was futile. It was bad enough that his foolproof plan had failed, but Shepard's amused smile was nothing short of maddening. She hadn't even bothered to change her clothes after her dinner party was interrupted. She was dressed in a flattering dark green party dress with thin shoulder straps. It had a flowery design, and its emerald color perfectly highlighted her red hair.

"Garrus, it looks like Kai Leng was sent here to do some very bad things."

"As if you wouldn't have stopped him, Shepard. Who was the stalker guy with the camera who fell on him?"

"Conrad Verner. Security tells me that he just got a job at the building. I think he wanted to make his way down to my apartment and take pictures of me. He's a little…"

"Scary? Skeevy? In serious need of a therapist?"

"Something like that." Shepard turned to Leng and chuckled. "Boy, that had to hurt."

Foolproof plans stood no chance against the ingenuity of fools.


	6. The Two Tali's

_Warning: Contains some big spoilers about ME3 (some events that might happen, and other events that do happen)._

 _This was written for the Mass Effect fan fiction writer's group. As an exercise, I've flipped the roles of the characters in the story._

 _In this story: Shepard has lost all hope, the Illusive Man is a good guy, and the Reapers don't use a "Star Kid" to mess with Shepard's mind. They use someone who means a lot more to Shepard._

…

The Illusive Man flinched as he gave himself an injection. Dizziness and vertigo flooded his head. Cerberus' experimental serum that fought off the effects of Reaper indoctrination kept him sane. Too bad it was so toxic that he'd be dead in a few weeks. A year ago, he took the serum once a month. Today he needed it four times.

 _Well, everything's a tradeoff._

He staggered forward as the vertigo passed and he entered the central chamber with the control panel where he would kill the Reapers once and for all. He knew that Commander Shepard was already there. He knew that Shepard wanted to take control the Reapers and exact vengeance for the death of his love, Tali, who had committed suicide at Rannoch. He had to be stopped.

There he was. Shepard faced away from him, and he hunched his shoulders as though he bore an unimaginable weight. The Illusive Man's eyes widened as he saw the glowing white image of a beautiful quarian woman standing alongside Shepard. She wore no mask, and her angelic and serene face spoke to Shepard.

"You must not control the Reapers," it said. "You must allow them to preserve life. It is the only way that I can find peace. You must allow the Reapers to preserve life, and begin the cycle again."

 _Oh God. Those Reaper bastards._

Shepard's voice shook. "Tali, the Reapers don't preserve life. They destroy it. I won't let the entire galaxy pay for what I did at Rannoch. You're dead because of me. The Geth destroyed your race. First I'm going to use the Reapers to destroy the Geth. They deserve to die. Then I'm going to kill any race, any person who wants to make these damn wars happen again."

The image spoke with complete calm. It also spoke matter-of-factly and without warmth. "The Reapers have the wisdom of ages. You do not. I did not. You must trust the Reapers. Allow them to begin the cycle anew."

Shepard shook his head and rubbed his brow. "Tali, I…maybe…maybe you're right…I just don't know…I'm so sorry…please forgive me…"

The Illusive Man interrupted them. "Shepard, don't listen to her."

Shepard wheeled around as though he'd been jolted by an electric shock. He drew his pistol, but there was no menace in the gesture. His glassy eyes looked like he hadn't slept in days. "Walk away, old man. Don't try to stop me. You're half-Reaper already."

"I'm not going anywhere. Good Cerberus soldiers fought and died to get me here, Shepard. I'm sorry for what you've been through. I've read your private journals ever since my people hacked into the Alliance's backup files, and I know that you've been planning to control the Reapers ever since Tali committed suicide on Rannoch. But you can't control them. No one can. Look at my face, for God's sake. The Reapers will do even worse to you."

Shepard glared at him and his chin trembled. "Shut up. Just shut up."

"It wasn't your fault at Rannoch. You were trying to save lives. Like you always have. You couldn't have known what was about to happen."

Shepard shook his head. "You don't know anything. I won't listen to you."

"I know. But maybe you'll listen to Tali. My people accessed her files, too." The Illusive Man reached into his coat and produced a handheld holo projector. A full-color holo image of Tali appeared in front of Shepard.

The image's youthful voice was full of life. She looked like she could barely contain her energy. "Shepard and I had our first date tonight. He is wonderful! I felt so comfortable with him, it was as though we've known each other forever. I hope he feels the same way. Even the simplest things that he says, they fill me with such hope for the future!"

Shepard staggered backward and his jaw dropped. His manic eyes darted from one image of Tali to the other, then fixed on the white shimmering image. "I gave you hope…I…I don't trust you…you would never…"

In that moment the Illusive Man drew a pistol from his coat and fired three times at the power conduit behind Shepard. Both of them shielded their eyes as a fireball ten feet across burst from the conduit. The entire floor teetered and pitched from explosions outside the room, throwing Shepard and the Illusive Man from their feet.

The glowing white image of Tali disappeared in a flash, replaced with the monstrous figure of the first Reaper, Harbinger. Harbinger's image bathed the room in shades of blood-red. "YOU CANNOT STOP US! YOU WILL ALL DIE!"

The Illusive Man grabbed Shepard by the shoulder. "Let's go, Shepard! There's no stopping the Crucible now!"

Shepard's eyes widened in shock. "I almost fed the galaxy…to them!"

"That's what the Reapers wanted. It's not what you or Tali wanted."

The weary soldier shook his head. "No. Just leave me here."

"Tali didn't want you to die here. Live for her. Tali didn't want you to die, so come on!"

At that, Shepard's eyes regained their focus. The Illusive Man and Commander Shepard ran for their lives as more explosions rocked the Citadel.


	7. Crossover: Mass Effect - The Avengers

Shepard felt like a famous rock band had boarded the _Normandy_. All that anybody on the ship wanted to talk about was the Avengers.

Shepard walked past the mess hall and heard a mighty groan. He leaned through the doorway and saw Zaeed and Jack watching Wrex as he tried to lift Thor's hammer. Thor stood nearby, smiling and with his arms folded. Steve "Captain America" Rogers stood alongside Thor, as Hawkeye and Black Widow sat on a table near Rogers. Black Widow clapped as Hawkeye cheered.

Shepard leaned against the entrance. "Wrex, will you stop trying to pick that thing up?"

The krogan groaned loud enough to shake the entire deck. Zaeed glanced at Thor as he took a sip from a drink. "I'll bet you he fucking hurts himself."

Thor's hearty laugh filled the room. "I've seen bigger try."

Cap frowned at Zaeed. "Language, people!"

Jack furrowed her brow and looked over her shoulder at Cap. "Language? Fuck you."

Zaeed turned back toward the krogan. "I'd watch out, Rogers. She's got a big crush on you."

Jack glared at Zaeed. "Fuck you too."

Cap's face was beet-red as Thor grinned broadly and slapped his shoulder. Shepard walked on. This was definitely going to be fun. As he reached the Engineering deck, he saw Donnelly, Adams and Dr. Chakwas watching as Bruce Banner and Tony Stark tinkered with captured Reaper technology. Stark's friend James Rhodes stood with the _Normandy_ crew members. Along the wall stood five empty Iron Man suits, along with the blue Iron Patriot suit used by Rhodes. Shepard spoke to Dr. Chakwas first. "Keep an on eye on them both. I don't want them getting indoctrinated from that tech."

Stark rotated his chair around toward Shepard. He wore faded denim jeans and a scarlet MIT t-shirt. "No worries, Shep old buddy. I already know how the Reaper tech does that. And how to stop it. That won't be a problem."

Dr. Chakwas and Shepard exchanged a look, and Shepard's eyebrows went up. "You're shitting me."

Rhodes shook his head. "He's not."

"All the same," continued Shepard, "I'm not taking any chances. The last thing we need is for the Reapers to have Iron Man or the Hulk on their side. She'll give you daily exams."

Stark glanced up and raised his voice. "JARVIS, are you and EDI finished updating the Mark 150 suits?"

The voice of a distinguished Englishman spoke over the com line, instead of EDI's familiar voice. "Sir, EDI's calculational abilities are remarkable. We can have the Mark 150 suits prepared for space flight within a day." EDI's feminine voice spoke next. "Thank you, JARVIS, I appreciate the compliment."

"JARVIS, this is Tony. Behave yourself. She's taken, remember?"

Shepard turned and looked toward the empty Iron Man suits. "Stark, between these flying suits and your work ethic, I can see why they call you the Iron Man."

Stark didn't look up. "Thanks Shepard. Most people see only the suit. Pepper and Rhody always saw past that, though. But they're fun to fly."

"I'll bet. Can I have one?"

Stark chuckled. "You sound like Rhody. Yeah, sure, why not. JARVIS, we're going to configure one of those suits for Shepard. Let's add a stealth mode, and let's paint the suit in red, black and white. With an N7 logo on the chest plate."

Shepard could barely contain himself. "I owe you a bottle of ryncol."

"No problem, Shep. On days like this, the work doesn't feel like work."

…

The Reapers never knew what hit them. Most of the Avengers fought alongside the Alliance ground troops. The monstrous green form of the Hulk leaped into the fray and sent thundering punches that sent a pair of brutes flying. The green beast then pummeled them flat. Banshees and Marauders dropped like flies as they were all struck in the head by the deadly aim of Captain America's shield, Thor's hammer, and the rifles used by Hawkeye and Black Widow. Thor swung his hammer into the ground over and over, sending shockwaves that sent hundreds of husks flying through the air and made them easy prey for the Alliance troops fighting alongside them.

Shepard, Stark and Rhodes flew buzzing circles around a Reaper destroyer. Shepard let out a whoop as the Reaper swung its crimson beam crazily and clumsily in a futile attempt to kill them. It was like a dull brute swinging a club into a swarm of gnats.

Rhodes toggled his com. "Shepard, what are you waiting for? Use your missile already. You've had a clean shot for ten seconds!"

Stark grinned. "Oh, Rhody, let him have his fun. That Reaper's dead meat."

Shepard switched his missile's status to armed. He heard EDI's voice in his headset. "Stark Industries M920 Cain ready for firing. Fire when ready." His eyes narrowed and his heart raced as he focused on the Reaper's beam weapon. He switched his engines to afterburner and swooped in low. Then he let the missile fly and broke away.

The M920 missile struck the Reaper squarely in its beam weapon and exploded in a blinding flash. A chunk of the Reaper blew off in a monstrous cloud of smoke and orange flame. It staggered backward and then fell to the ground in a thundering crash.

Shepard pumped his fist as Stark and Rhody's cheers filled his headset. Stark shouted, "Way to bust him in the chops, Shepard!" Shepard admired the view as he flew once last time over the wrecked Reaper.

"Yeah, baby! Did you guys see that Reaper stumble before he fell? Did you? Somebody should've cut that drunk bastard off!"


	8. Song that's inspired me

_This drabble was written for the Facebook Mass Effect Fanfiction Writers Group._

 _The prompt: A piece of music that moves you._

 _Characters: Shepard and one other character (my choice: Shepard and Anderson)_

 _For me, I was inspired by two things: A scene from the TV show "Band of Brothers" where the soldiers rest in a church, and a women's chorus quietly sings holiday songs to them. Also, because I know a toddler who sometimes likes to sing in his bed before he goes to sleep._

 **Let Me Carry You**

Toddlers and little kids didn't understand the threat posed by the Reapers. Which was a good thing, of course.

The two year old child rubbed her eyes and tried to sleep. A grownup had turned off the lights, but she missed her room. She missed her warm bed and blanket. She remembered the day that Mommy picked her up in the middle of the night and rushed her away. Mommy kept saying "Let me carry you. It's all right. It's all right." Mommy said 'it's all right,' just like the grownups always did. But why did Mommy and Daddy seem so scared? They were never scared! She dropped her favorite doll as they ran, and so she cried, and cried, and felt so ashamed for being scared, too. Now her room was gone, and they lived in this strange, cold place. Mommy and Daddy weren't around much, and she hadn't seen the sun in so long. The lights flickered on and off, and sometimes water dripped from the ceiling. She was here with all these kids that she didn't know. But at least she wasn't the only one. They lay on a hard floor, like the stone on the ground outside her house. They only had the clothes on their back, and huddled together.

When she was scared, Mommy and Daddy would hold her close. They always rocked her gently, and sang quietly. They told her that singing would make the scares go away. They were always right, too. How did mommies and daddies know these things? She thought of one of her favorite songs, and whispered.

"Twin-kle, twin-kle, lit-tle star…how I won-der what you are…"

A child next to her, a little boy with blond hair and brown eyes, turned and looked at her. He rolled over. "…up ab-ove the world so high…" joined the boy, quietly singing with the little girl.

"…like a dia-mond in the sky…" Two other children joined in. "Twin-kle, twin-kle, lit-tle star…"

The girl continued singing, and saw that one of the grownups had returned to their sleep room. Now half of the children in the room were quietly singing. Were they in trouble? Should they stop?

The grownup woman had red hair, and she wore one of those strange costumes that only some grownups had. The red-haired woman stood there with her lips parted, leaning against the doorway. She waved a hand, and seconds later an older man with dark skin joined her. The grownups were both back lit by a dim light from outside the room, but the little girl thought that she could see them smiling.

The room fell silent as the song ended. The blond-haired boy alongside the girl then sang another song. "You are my sun-shine…my on-ly sun-shine…," The girl saw that one of the grownups, the woman with the red hair, still smiled. She pressed something on the end of her arm and said something that the girl couldn't hear.

There was no way that the children could have known that, hundreds of yards away, the weary sentries who were guarding the survivors' hideout in the dead of night had heard a short message over their com lines. It was a message from Commander Shepard. "Hey guys, the kids are still awake. They have something that they want you guys to hear." The next thing that the sentries heard was dozens of little voices, the voices of little angels, serenading them as they held vigil in the night. "You are my sun-shine…my on-ly sun-shine…you make me hap-py…when skies are gray…."

Every single sentry on guard duty that night felt a hope and warmth fill up inside them. It was a though the sunlight had peered its way through a curtain of clouds and lifted the gloom. "Hey, Command," said one of them. "Tell Anderson to give those kids a medal."

"Say Command," said another. "Tell my daughter I'll give her a big kiss and a hug when I see her in the morning."

As the song ended, more than a few of the sentries quietly chanted, "One more song…one more song…."

And so, in the hidden shelter under the ground, Commander Shepard and Admiral Anderson let the little children sing another song. And another. And another still. They sang until all of the scary things faded away from their minds, and the sentries' minds too. Then the little ones yawned, rubbed their eyes, and they drifted off to sleep one by one.


End file.
